The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-22
The Railroad Fight at Nashville.

An election takes place in Nashville,
Tenn, to-day, which promises to be lively
one. Some months ago IA company was
organized to build railroad from Mem
phis, via Nashville, to Bristol, Tenn, thus
traversing the State from end to end. At
Bristol it will connect with the East Ten
nessee, Virginia and Georgia system,
making short route to all East
ern cities, and at Memphis with
the network of lines which
make that city one of the great railroad
centres of the South. Aid has been voted
to the projected road, which is to be called
the Tennessee Midland by various counties
of the State, but its projectors have looked
which Nashville is situated, and
which is vitality interested in the
transportation problem. All the railroads
which now centre in that city have fallen
into the control of the Louisville
and Nashville, so that for several
years it has been deprived of the advantages
of competition for freights other than that
afforded by small steamers on
the Cumberland river This COM
petition has been subject to many disadvan-
tages, and, it is said, has not sufficed to keep
the charges of the railroads low enough to
compare favorably with those of other
cities which compete with Nashville mer-
chants. This state of affairs naturally re-
suited in warm approval by the mercantile
community Of the Tennessee Midland prof.
ect and in the passage of bill submitting
to a vote of the people of the county the
question of whether or not subscription of
500, 600 to the stock of the ROAD should be
made
The local contest on this question has been
conducted with extraordinary energy and
bitterness, and features have been developed
of interest to communities in no wise con-
cerned i'll the manner in which it may be
decided. For weeks the newspapers of
Nashville have been given up to a very
large extent to matter concerning the cleo
ton; cartoons have been printed daily, in
tended to give point and emphasis to opin-
ions expressed in the 1etterpress, and
numerous public meetings have been held
at which speakers attacked or defended the
proposed subscription.
The important part of the whole matter,
however, is that the Louisville and Nash
vile corporation has BEEN the head and
front of the opposition. Its officers have
not hesitated to use every means in their
power to defeat the subscription, paying
large sums TO newspapers organizing meet
ings and employing speakers. Finally, it is
charged that, grown desperate in the face
of impending defeat, the company has i'm
tod I, 4
Pinkerton's detectives, whose business it
will be in the election to-day to shadow"
employees of the road and see that they vote
the fright" ticket-in other words, to in
timidate them into supporting the roads
policy
If the Louisville and Nashville is guilty
of this charge it ought to be severely con-
demned by public sentiment. The PROPOSE
ton submitted to the people of Nashville is
purely business one, and the Louisville
and Nashville ought to acquiesce in a deci-
sion fairly rendered at the ballot box.
The position occupied by the Pinkerton
detectives is an anomalous one Called
detectives, they are not SO in any proper
sense. They are, rather, armed soldiers
kept for hire. They have played a great
part in labor disturbances, especially at ST.
Louis and Jersey City, but this is their first
appearance as factor in an election. 1t
ought to be the last. h
Another element of interest in the con-
test, to Georgians, is the fact that the cor
poration criticised is said to now control a
majority of the shares in the lease of the
State road, and may be the purchaser of
that property should the State decide to sell
it. The methods of its managers. if recent
events i'll Nashville fairly indicate them,
will not suit this latitude.